• Before I say anything let me clarify this topic’s title, when I say “A&A Production” I don’t mean the production of units in game, I mean production of the game itself. As such I have no idea where my thread here should go, so I have posted it in the A&A E1940 because it was the threads in this section that brought up this question in me.

    I’ve been reading the forums for a while but have never actually gotten involved, I used the forums mostly to just keep up with any upcoming A&A games. Lately however, mostly in connection with the new 1940 editions coming out, I’ve kind of been getting the impression that even though new editions of A&A get all kinds of publicity and are heralded as the best thing since the first A&A itself, the makers of A&A already have another game being put together which will be better than the one(s) that just came out.
    For example, there was a huge hype over the 50th anniversary edition, but about a year later they’ve released part of a new game and announce the release of the other half to be 8 months later (the 1940 editions) which is better than the anniversary edition in every consievable way (at least from my perspective, feel free to disagree with me but pls don’t make an arguement out of it, that is not what I want to be doing in this thread). So really it was a waste to buy the anniversary edition except for collectors value, this concerns me as I have no interest in collecting but only in playing the games.
    So far the above example is really a one time occurence but some of the things that I’ve been reading in the forums has concerned me that the same thing is going to happen with the 1940 editions. I’ve been reading about how the designers plan to incorperate Italy better in the future or fix some rules in the future etc. etc. and so even though it has only happened once I am afraid that it might happen again and so I suppose I wanted to say something before “things got out of  hand” so to speak. :|
    Therefore I wanted to post a thread asking about this development, and I guess the question is…Is that what is happening? Are the designers releasing games when they’ve got something better just around the corner? :?

    Let me be clear, I am not accusing anyone of anything, I just can’t really find any other way to ask what I want to ask. Perhaps I am just misunderstanding what I am reading and by the “future” they mean further away than I thought. So pls post your thoughts, your opinions, and anyone who actually knows what’s going on-I’d appreciate any information that you have.

    Addendum: I am terrible at articulating myself, and so I realise that my post here may be a little incoherent, if this is the case and you have questions about any part of my post or need clarification pls post that you do and I will attempt to explain.

  • '10

    After Europe 1940, I don’t think anybody has any information.  At least any that they can share.  My guess is there is not going to be any Axis & Allies global editions released for a long time.  I’d be surprised if there are any second editions of the 1940 copies.  I don’t think WOTC has any interest correcting “old” problems.  They have little interest in AA at all.  I think any future AA games will be more like Battle of the Bulge or D-Day. Larry Harris has shown interest in putting together updated official rules on his website.  I don’t know what will come of that though.


  • exactly. This will probably be the lat global game for a long long time. But we might see specific battles coming up. Like post Dunkirk or something.


  • Looking at the history on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axis_%26_Allies#Versions (8 new games in 6 years) I would bet that there will be many more versions of Axis & Allies, including another global in the future. Larry Harris knows that nerdy fanboys will always keep buying updated copies.


  • @cressman8064:

    Looking at the history on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axis_%26_Allies#Versions (8 new games in 6 years) I would bet that there will be many more versions of Axis & Allies, including another global in the future. Larry Harris knows that nerdy fanboys will always keep buying updated copies.

    This is exactly what I am afraid of, that the developers will just keep releasing updated versions spaced by about a year each and pricing them at top dollar. I just really didn’t want to insinuate it in my post but since someone else has just come and said it…. :|. Like I said in the first post, I’m not trying to accuse anyone of anything but I’m kind of worried because I really like A&A but everytime a new version comes out its like you can’t play the older one anymore because of all the things you know you’re missing in the new one.


  • And because you know you’re missing stuff, you buy the new one every year, leading to more PROFITS for the fat cat CEO’s!  :evil: Wait, are we talking about iPods or A and A?


  • The game hasn’t really gotten that much better since the original.


  • @Brain:

    The game hasn’t really gotten that much better since the original.

    Um…I’d debate that but that’s not what I want to be doing in this thread (so pls no one else start it). Is there anyone who is in correspondence with a developer who could maybe provide some information on the subject, I don’t really expect anything here but like I said I felt like I had to say something.


  • @Reaper:

    [Is there anyone who is in correspondence with a developer who could maybe provide some information on the subject, I don’t really expect anything here but like I said I felt like I had to say something.
    [/quote]

    They are all bound to silence.


  • Wait, are we talking about iPods or A and A?

    For a moment I thought you were talking about handheld games consoles :-P

    I for one don’t have any problem with A&A getting better and better, forcing you to buy the latest version (should I?). I would have a problem with it if WotC had a “list” of updated versions that they will release as far ahead as 2020. Of course, it is unlikely that they would ever be that organised. :roll: Pricing is another issue entirely.

  • '20 '18 '16 '13 '12

    Reaper,

    I think the fact that you come to this site often enough to join (Welcome.) and pay enough attention to know that new editions are comming out, means you really like to play this game. We all do.

    I played the original edition years ago, was introduced to Revised a few years back and was STOKED when the 1942 came out. After playing that one I knew I had to get my hands on AA50. So I got a good deal from a pal, (still very pricey) and picked up one of the out of print copies. I reserved AAP40 and had it the day of release and I’ll do the same with AAE40. (I’m not big on the micro games).

    The message I’m trying to convey to you is why wouldn’t you want new editions of the game? I still play AA42 probabaly more than AA50 because they are both fun and challenging in different ways. The concept is what I like and the more ways you can apply it and tweak it the better! No one is forcing you to buy a new edition of the game (Many people beleive it will never get better than AA50) But if you feel like you’re missing out playing the newer more intricate edition of the game it’s probabaly because you love playing the game and are seeking an even greter challenge with it.

    If this is the case then buy, play and enjoy the new one without feeling like you’re being ripped off.
    If you’re happy with good old AA50 (and that could keep you happy for a long time) then play, enjoy and stop comming on here and torturing yourself with thought of how the new edition is bigger and better.

    P.S. Lots of people here actually believe the Pacific 40 edition is inferior to AA50.


  • What they really need to do is go ahead and make an advanced game.


  • @Canuck12:

    Reaper,

    I think the fact that you come to this site often enough to join (Welcome.) and pay enough attention to know that new editions are comming out, means you really like to play this game. We all do.

    I played the original edition years ago, was introduced to Revised a few years back and was STOKED when the 1942 came out. After playing that one I knew I had to get my hands on AA50. So I got a good deal from a pal, (still very pricey) and picked up one of the out of print copies. I reserved AAP40 and had it the day of release and I’ll do the same with AAE40. (I’m not big on the micro games).

    The message I’m trying to convey to you is why wouldn’t you want new editions of the game? I still play AA42 probabaly more than AA50 because they are both fun and challenging in different ways. The concept is what I like and the more ways you can apply it and tweak it the better! No one is forcing you to buy a new edition of the game (Many people beleive it will never get better than AA50) But if you feel like you’re missing out playing the newer more intricate edition of the game it’s probabaly because you love playing the game and are seeking an even greter challenge with it.

    If this is the case then buy, play and enjoy the new one without feeling like you’re being ripped off.
    If you’re happy with good old AA50 (and that could keep you happy for a long time) then play, enjoy and stop comming on here and torturing yourself with thought of how the new edition is bigger and better.

    P.S. Lots of people here actually believe the Pacific 40 edition is inferior to AA50.

    Do they believe that because of balance?


  • @Canuck12:

    Reaper,

    I think the fact that you come to this site often enough to join (Welcome.) and pay enough attention to know that new editions are comming out, means you really like to play this game. We all do.

    I played the original edition years ago, was introduced to Revised a few years back and was STOKED when the 1942 came out. After playing that one I knew I had to get my hands on AA50. So I got a good deal from a pal, (still very pricey) and picked up one of the out of print copies. I reserved AAP40 and had it the day of release and I’ll do the same with AAE40. (I’m not big on the micro games).

    The message I’m trying to convey to you is why wouldn’t you want new editions of the game? I still play AA42 probabaly more than AA50 because they are both fun and challenging in different ways. The concept is what I like and the more ways you can apply it and tweak it the better! No one is forcing you to buy a new edition of the game (Many people beleive it will never get better than AA50) But if you feel like you’re missing out playing the newer more intricate edition of the game it’s probabaly because you love playing the game and are seeking an even greter challenge with it.

    If this is the case then buy, play and enjoy the new one without feeling like you’re being ripped off.
    If you’re happy with good old AA50 (and that could keep you happy for a long time) then play, enjoy and stop comming on here and torturing yourself with thought of how the new edition is bigger and better.

    P.S. Lots of people here actually believe the Pacific 40 edition is inferior to AA50.

    Perhaps I should clarify- I’m not saying that I don’t enjoy having new editions come out, but I don’t have a lot of money to spend on games, so I don’t like it when a developer releases a “new edition” (of whatever, it doesn’t have to be A&A) with all sorts of new features and then release another new edition relatively soon thereafter with even more new features that obsoletes the one that just came out. This really wouldn’t be a problem if not for A&A games’ high pricing and honestly it could have just been a one time thing that happened with AA50 and AA1940. What it looked like was that the developers released the anniversary edition knowing that the two 1940 editions would be better without telling anyone that the 1940 editions were coming up, it smacks of greed but like I said I did not want to sound accusitory but I guess there is no other way to describe it. So, I felt like I had to say something, maybe find out more information on the the subject, maybe to just reassure myself I don’t know, again like I said I don’t really know what I hope to accomplish with this thread but I don’t want to just sit back and do nothing and risk that this becomes a pattern with the developers of A&A. So to reitterate, I don’t mind new editions but I guess the best way to describe it would be: I don’t want a new edition coming out once a year when they could have waited a little while and put them all into one and save their customers money.

    (Again I am having trouble putting my thoughts into words so this post is a little all over the board as I wrote it in peices. I’ll try to clarify tomorrow if anyone is having trouble understanding me.)


  • Well I can see the short time span between AA50 and AA1940 editions as greedy money grabs to make A&A fans buy more copies of a similar game (with just a few more territories each update) But if WotC wanted a bigger cash grab they would have released a re-print of AA50 over a year ago as people on these forms have been petitioning, I’m sure they could have sold thousands of more copies (I would have bought one). Then dropped the AA40 announcement.


  • They need to make money somehow. Would you buy a game thats worse then the previous one? So of COURSE successive games are going to be slightly better. I think in time they will do a reprint, and it will be better. I like that there is a new game every year or so. Its pretty fun to try new things.


  • Actually the quality of the games is going downhill, what with the cardboard pieces and the exclusion of IPC’s and all the typos.


  • @idk_iam_swiss:

    They need to make money somehow. Would you buy a game thats worse then the previous one? So of COURSE successive games are going to be slightly better. I think in time they will do a reprint, and it will be better. I like that there is a new game every year or so. Its pretty fun to try new things.

    I am not suggesting that they release worse games I am suggesting that they shouldn’t release games in such close succession when they could have just waited and released ONE game with all the improvements they come up with. And yes they need to make money so I wouldn’t have a problem if they released a game every 2 and a half years but releasing a game once a year means that they either planned it or someone had a revelation in regards to the next greatest A&A. I just honestly don’t think that they could have come up with all this new stuff (the new stuff in AA40) and then put it all together to have it ready in a year’s time, I think that they must have had at least some of this put together while they were releasing the anniversary edition, which implies that they new they’d have something better coming up. So even if it was some kind of “honest mistake” where they just didn’t expect ot have all this new stuff so soon, they could have held AA50’s release in favor of putting this new stuff in it instead of releasing a whole new game a year later. The only two reasons they wouldn’t that I can think of are: greed, or there was some kind of clerical error.

    (If the above paragraph conveys what I am trying to get it to convey this is what I have been trying to put into words this whole time, god I hate communicating with typing……)

    Truely, the differences between AA50 and AA1940 is worth paying full price but its kind of a middle finger to everyone who bought AA50 because AA1940 is better and it came out just a year later (little more if you include 1940 Europe) and the two cost $80 while AA50 cost $100. Its like they said, "Look at this shiny new and improved A&A, because its so good we are asking for $100. (Everyone sees that as fair and wants to buy it) (one year later…) “Hey everyone! Guess what? Look at this new and improved A&A that is completely better than that last one we just released and it costs $160 (Assuming that both Europe and Pacific cost $80).” See anything wrong with that? I don’t know, maybe you don’t but I do.


  • I see your point. I really do. I dont like it anymore then you do. But i would much rather buy the new game then be left out of the loop.


  • As a fan of the series and as someone with limited funds, I really understand where you are comming from. Its tough sometimes deciding what to get, and you want to support the franchise, so you almost feel guilty not buying the games when they come out. But sometimes you have to do it. For example, I have never bought an A&A battle game like d-day or bulge. They just seemed to limited in their scope for my intrests, I could care less about playing one small battle. Also, I have not, nor do I ever intend to buy A&A 1942, I just dont see the point. Outside of getting extra pieces, I have no need for that game, I have A&A revised, and thats good enough.
    I dont feel that this makes me any less of a fan, nor dose it make me feel guilty in not supporting the franchise overall. As far as them comming out back to back, I think the 1940 games were long time comming and needed, and I cant imagine another game of this size being released for a while. I’ve kinda been thinking of these 2 games as the Mona Lisa of the A&A series. These games will be Larrys 9th symphony so to speak, they will have reached the pinicale of depth and size. If these were to be the last 2 big A&A games ever released, I dont think it would be a bad thing.

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